bikram yoga

In light of the recent sex scandal regarding Anusara Yoga founder John Friend, who admitted in an interview with Elephant Journal to having sex with his employees, yoga students and married women, it is no surprise that the results of several research studies prove yoga boosts libido. Guilty, ashamed or just an excessively aroused yogi, Friend is no exception when it comes to the overwhelming evidence that yoga makes you more interested in sex.

William Broad, the author of the book The Science of Yoga, said yoga started in medieval India as a sex cult to harness the type of sexual energies that could lead to enlightenment. While Friend and other yoga authorities, such as Bikram Choudhury of Bikram Yoga fame and Amrit Desai, the founder of the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts, have admittedly exploited sexual energies, many students of yoga are innocuously tasting the enhancement yoga brings to their sex lives. Read Full Post >

What do a James Bond villain and a Prince have in common? Bikram yoga apparently.

Britian’s Prince Harry has recently been turned on to Bikram Yoga by his friend DJ Goldie. Goldie portrayed a villain in the popular James Bond film The World is Not Enough. He is also a popular musician specializing in DJing. Goldie recently met Harry and the two have become close friends.

Goldie’s love of Bikram yoga persuaded Harry to give it a shot and apparently he’s been hooked ever since.

Bikram yoga is also called hot yoga. Participants work out in a heated room, sometimes up to 105 degrees. The heat aids in many aspects of the exercises, including speeding up the body’s metabolism, allowing for better stretching, and injury prevention.Read Full Post >

The following is a compilation of some of the most common misconceptions about yoga I come across, and my responses to them.

“I can’t even touch my toes, how am I supposed to do yoga?”

This is a very popular fear and misconception that keeps people from trying yoga for the first time. While flexibility is important to perform certain poses, no teacher expects a new student to be super limber. Flexibility comes with time and practice; it is not a requirement to walk in the door.

“Yoga is too hard.”

Some styles of yoga are very challenging, however other styles such as Hatha, Yin and Restorative Yoga are gentle, and offer a great starting point to build up strength and stamina for harder classes.

“Just sitting there and breathing is not my thing, I need something more active.”

If you want a hard workout that challenges every single muscle group and more, seek an Ashtanga, Power Vinyasa or Bikram Yoga class. These classes are not for the timid and do require a moderate to high level of fitness to attend.

September is National Yoga Month! The Department of Health and Human Services has designated a national observance of yoga to bring awareness about its multiple health benefits. Yoga is beneficial in many avenues. Fitness, relaxation, and health can all be obtained through the practice of yoga. We’ve compiled some great resources for you and your family to use as you celebrate National Yoga Month!

Ever since yoga landed on our western shores from hot and humid India some 50 years ago it has gone through quite a few transformations. New styles have emerged to shape the bodies and minds of students of all ages. Yoga is now being taught in gyms, spas, office buildings, schools, universities and private yoga studios. In these settings it is often difficult to control the temperature in the practice room, and so large numbers of yoga practitioners never get to experience the full dimension of their practice due to an air-conditioned environment.

The work of pioneering yogi Bikram Choudhury is legend amongst the yoga community. His class consists of 26 postures performed in 105-degree heat for one and a half hours. Bathing suits replace yoga clothes, towels replace rubber mats, and the squish of damp carpet underfoot becomes the background music. Bikram makes a number of claims as to the physical benefits of doing yoga under heated conditions including weight loss through improved metabolic function, detoxification of toxins through sweat, and greater flexibility in muscles and joints. In actuality it is the postures of Hatha yoga that allow for these improved conditions, while the heat is used to soften and prepare the body to stretch more deeply and without injury. Read Full Post >

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The information provided within this site is strictly for the purposes of information only and is not a replacement or substitute for professional advice, doctors visit or treatment. The provided content on this site should serve, at most, as a companion to a professional consult. It should under no circumstance replace the advice of your primary care provider. You should always consult your primary care physician prior to starting any new fitness, nutrition or weight loss regime.